The last time MV saw Kim Jennett, she was performing with The Dead Collective earlier in the year. Tonight, fronting her own harder rocking band, she is a very different proposition.
She jokes about getting the party started with “Let Me Be The One”, but there is far more metal in this set than you might expect. “Bloody Killing Floor” makes that clear, while Jennett throws herself into “You’re Dead To Me” and sounds particularly angry on “Dead Hollywood”. A new song sees her waving to the crowd, although the song itself sounds anything but a pleasant greeting.
You need some confidence to tackle Led Zeppelin in Wolverhampton, too. Jennett has it, and her voice does “Immigrant Song” justice. “Hell Is Wherever You Are”, which she also played at that show with Oli Brown’s lot, proves that a great song works whatever form you give it. By the end, she has shown what an energetic frontwoman and formidable singer she is.
Speaking of great songs, Bad Touch have plenty of them. They are briefly interrupted by a fire alarm outside during “Dressed To Kill”, but once that is dealt with, Stevie Westwood and the boys pick up exactly where they left off.
New song “Don’t Look Back” is full of the joy of rock ’n’ roll. So, in their own ways, are “Can You Feel It”, “Come Get It” and “I Get High”. It is striking how many Bad Touch songs celebrate simple pleasures when the world gives everyone so much to worry about. There is nothing wrong with that, particularly when the choruses are this good.
“See It To Believe It” is ridiculously catchy, while “99%” gets perhaps the longest introduction of the night. It remains one of the anthems of the last few years. Even their cover of Alanis Morissette’s “Hand In My Pocket” works when, on paper, perhaps it shouldn’t. “This Life” and “Baby Get It On” continue the tumult. It has been a while since MV last saw Bad Touch, but nothing has dimmed their ability to be one of the finest bands around.
When I put a picture of The Dust Coda on X at the start of their set, a friend replied: “A rare sighting.” There is some truth in that. They do not play as often as many of their peers, and perhaps that makes it easy to forget quite how good they are.
This is new singer Andrew Knightly’s ninth gig with the band, he says, and he is starting to look at home. He brings a different feel from his predecessor John Drake, but “Let Me Go” has lost none of its power. “Jimmy 2 Times” has its swagger intact, while “Demon” remains a bluesy stomper, perhaps sounding a little more bluesy with Knightly singing it.
“Weakness” has soul, but The Dust Coda have always been a riffs band, as “Breakdown” and Adam Mackie’s sensational solo prove. “Call Out The Dogs” becomes the singalong it has always deserved to be. Old friend Ricky is filling in on bass tonight, and fits right in.
“Is anybody feeling a little bit lovesick?” Knightly asks before the closest thing they have to a ballad. “Dream Alight” brings a Southern flavour, and the band are understandably pleased that “Limbo Man” has made it into a computer game. Then “Road To Hell”, possibly still their finest song, provides a stunning finish.
The Friday party is a warm-up for the main NWOCR festival, but these three sets make it feel like an event in its own right. And if The Dust Coda’s appearances really are rare, tonight is a reminder to catch them whenever you can.
